Jubilee marks first year in office.

Jubilee marks first year in office.

Being at the helm of power comes along with its responsibilities and duties. Similarly, attaining power status comes along with its challenges as well as with criticism; both positive and negative. This case is indeed not different to the Kenyan Jubilee case.

With Kenya attaining its Jubilee, making 50 years since independence, it was indeed hopeful that most of the problems being faced by the nationals were to be solved but funnily enough, the nationals are still left to experience the same problems for 50 years now.

The Jubilee Government celebrates its first year in office this month April. The Coalition Government led by the UhuRuto duo, came into power amid certain controversies and harsh criticisms starting from the ICC cases that they face as suspects.  The coalition that assumed office on 9^th April, has faced a myriad of challenges beginning from the teachers, lecturers and nurses strikes early last year, high unemployment rates, escalating insecurity, old corruption deals terror attacks alongside other problems. However these has made Kenyans have a spell of doubt in the Government as seemingly some of the corrupt deals have been inherited by the incumbent political heads.

The coalition successfully assumed office after luring Kenyans with goodies; good governance, employment opportunities, tackling insecurity, fighting corruption, economic growth, regional and gender balance in appointments and uplifting living conditions.

To date, the insecurity rates as well as terror attacks has been on the rise, with the worst being the September 22, Westgate terror attack that claimed more than 60 innocent lives. The country has also had several killings in Busia, Nyakach, in Mombasa where there has been several shootings with the latest being the shooting of a Muslim Sheikh, Makaburi. With the Alshabab, gaining more access into the country and planning certain terror attacks and even planting grenad3es at certain points, the Jubilee coalition has maintained that it won’t relent in fighting insecurity and terrorism and it has made this its top agenda and this has begun as the security personnel are at the moment hunting for illegal immigrants in the country.

Seemingly, the old corruption deals has been inherit5ed by the top Government officials and the President just recently redeployed his office personnel’s to other areas citing corruption. Seemingly, the Rift Valley Leaders led by Alfred Keter and Isaac Ruto have maintained that there was no transparency in issuing of the standard rail gauge tender as well as there has been catcalls that the laptop tender was messed up with during the tendering process. Seemingly, the Government is not working towards fighting corruption and I’m afraid that Kenyans will be treated to more of these well planned cynical games and an iceberg of the largest evil schemes.

To date, the public perception of the Government has significantly changed and even the citizens are left wondering what are next after all the events that have taken place. The sceptical public have been nagged by the legislators who work for their own benefits. Surprisingly, the tyranny of numbers has been evident even in the passing of the bills. The so much talked about VAT bill was passed due to what I term as the, ‘Tyrannical influence’ since the Government was seen as on the loosing side.

The President has decried and admitted that there are problems and that efforts are in place to deal with the problems starting from capacitating the police through police reforms so as to effectively deal with insecurity and terror attacks.

However much President Uhuru’s  Government has been criticized of trying to kill devolution, Its of importance to credit the jubilee Government with embracing the police reforms that is currently underway as well as backing devolution as all the 47 counties are now operational. The President has also maintained good external links with other Government’s and leaders both continentally and globally.

The Youths and women have been deemed and have remained the greatest and biggest beneficiaries of the Government through the issuance and rolling out of the Uwezo fund project that seeks to empower the two groups.

The Government has work on progress, but still may not realize its promises of economic growth due to the large national debt. This is evident as there is very little money to carry out most projects and the World Bank has declined to offer loans to Kenya as the debt has outgrown to more than 50% of the country’s GDP. The condition and state of the nation has become serious and this has even seen the president, his deputy as well as cabinet secretaries take a 20% salary cut as well as reduce the miscellaneous spending like the office tea so as to boost the money available for investment. 

UhuRuto Government has also encouraged investors to come into the country and the counties have signed several investments with other western countries with Homa Bay and Machakos county signing multibillions projects.

The President has also made the State house accessible by the Media, a place that was in the past regarded as only the Presidents' and could only be accessible to media and other leaders during the drama and music national winners perfomance and during presidents briefing. To date, the media house interview the President on various occasions

and topics, something that wasnt in existence in the previous regimes.